Rod Stewart denies ‘rift’ with Penny Lancaster: We could not be more in love

Sir Rod Stewart has denied reports of a “rift” between him and his wife Penny Lancaster, saying they could “not be more in love with each other”.

The 79-year-old veteran musician, who has been married to former model Lancaster since 2007, shared a statement on social media to “put the record straight”.

He said claims there was tension between the couple about where they should reside are the “opposite” as they have decided to keep their UK base and Los Angeles home.

In the post, he wrote: “We wanted to put the record straight. There is absolutely no rift between Penny and I and no disagreement over where we should reside, in fact it’s the opposite.

“We moved permanently back to our beloved Britain a year ago but are fortunate to also have homes in different countries, which we love to visit.

“Originally we did think it made sense to sell our house in LA, but having spent a wonderful time there this summer with family and friends during my Vegas residency we realised that it makes sense to keep our house there.”

He also noted that two of his eldest children still live in his Los Angeles residence, named Celtic House.

The London-born performer added: “Penny and I could not be more in love with each other after 27 glorious years.

“Please trust me on this… there’s no disharmony in our marriage.”

He signed the statement off by writing “Rod ‘a very lucky man’ Stewart”.

Earlier this month, Sir Rod had to cancel his 200th residency celebration show in Las Vegas earlier due to a bout of the bacterial infection strep throat.

Later in the week, he had to postponed more US shows after contracting a “summer strain of Covid-19”.

The shows are part of the singer’s North American tour, with dates scheduled for September and October before he moves to Europe for a performance in Spain on December 15 and one in Denmark on December 18.

Sir Rod is scheduled to return to the US for two dates in February before he closes out his residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas with a string of performances between March and June.

He is a member of the US Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and was knighted by the late Queen Elizabeth II in 2016.

Former model Lancaster, 53, is an occasional panellist on ITV lunchtime chat show Loose Women.

She began volunteering with the City of London Police after appearing in the Channel 4 show Famous And Fighting Crime, in which celebrities swapped their day jobs with those of emergency service professionals.

She later completed her training to become a special constable in April 2021.